Vacuum apparatus

ABSTRACT

A vacuum apparatus includes a body, a dust-collecting box, a fan and a detection unit. The dust-collecting box is located inside the body. The fan is located inside the by closing to the dust-collecting box. The detection unit located around a pipe-end opening of the body further includes a detection assembly and a lens assembly. The detection assembly has an infrared emitting element and an infrared receiving element. The lens assembly has a first lens and a second lens, located to opposing sides of the pipe-end opening. The first lens has a first cutout, and the second lens has a second cutout. The infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitting element penetrates both the first cutout and the second cutout, and is finally received by the infrared receiving element.

This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application Serial No. 104216374, filed Oct. 13, 2015, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a vacuum apparatus, and more particularly to the vacuum apparatus that can detect particles at a pipe-end opening thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As technology progresses day by day, plenty of investments and researches have been placed to the robot industry. Thereupon, versatile robots for specific purposes have been introduced to the marketplace recently. These purposes include factory automation, hospital automation, museum guides, surgery-assistant systems, space adventures, military applications, domestic services, office services, entertainments, and even risk tasks as a human substitute.

Among all these purposes, one of robots for the domestic services is an indoor robotic cleaner, which is precisely an automatic cleaning vacuum apparatus able to waddle on the floor automatically. While the robotic cleaner waddles on the surface, it will automatically suck in dusts and particles on the floor. As soon as the robotic cleaner is going to run out power or to be in an off state, the robotic cleaner would waddle back to a predetermined station for recharging or resting, respectively. In addition, for the cleaning vacuum apparatus, a new hand-manipulated vacuum apparatus with the same functions according to the same cleaning methodology as the robotic cleaner also appears in the marketplace.

For the vacuum apparatus, a dust-collecting box inside the vacuum apparatus is used to collect dusts and dirt sucked in during cleaning. However, also since the dust-collecting box is an internal element inside the vacuum apparatus, thus the user is hard to investigate the accommodation situation inside the dust-collecting box directly by naked eyes. Hence, it is necessary to disassemble the vacuum apparatus frequently so as able to realize the accumulation of the dusts and dirt inside the dust-collecting box. Only through periodic investigation upon the dust-collecting box as described above, the vacuum apparatus can thus be effectively and continuously used in cleaning. However, such a management in applying the vacuum apparatus is definitely cumbersome to the users.

In addition, in some cases, the busy user is quite possible to forget the investigation upon the volume collected inside the dust-collecting box, and thus ill vacuum performance or serious jam at the sucking inlet may occur because of failing to empty the dust-collecting box in time. Under this circumstance, the dust-collecting box may be run without significant efficiency, and thus ill vacuum performance and the waste in energy to the vacuum device are definitely inevitable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a vacuum apparatus that introduces a cutout design to the lens assembly, such that efficiency of infrared rays emitted by the infrared emitting element and received by the infrared receiving element to detect the dusts can be enhanced without the dusts to contaminate the cutouts.

In the present invention, the vacuum apparatus includes a body, a dust-collecting box, a fan and a detection unit. The body has a pipe-end opening communicatively with the atmosphere. The dust-collecting box located inside the body has a dust-sucking pipe further having a first end and a second end opposing to the first end, where the first end is positioned inside the dust-collecting box while the second end extends out of the body through the pipe-end opening. The fan is located inside the body at a place beside the dust-collecting box. The detection unit located around the pipe-end opening further includes a detection assembly and a lens assembly. The detection assembly has an infrared emitting element and an infrared receiving element. The lens assembly has a first lens and a second lens located individually to opposing sides of the pipe-end opening, respectively. A front end of the first lens is formed to have a first cutout while another front end of the second lens is formed to have a second cutout facing the first cutout. The first lens includes thereinside the infrared emitting element, the second lens includes thereinside the infrared receiving element, and the infrared emitting element emits an infrared ray to penetrate the first cutout and the second cutout and finally to the infrared receiving element.

In one embodiment of the present invention, spacing between the first cutout and the second cutout is measured to be a first distance at an exterior side of the lens assembly, while another spacing between the first cutout and the second cutout is measured to another second distance at an interior side of the lens assembly, wherein the first distance is larger than the second distance.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the spacing between the first cutout and a centerline of the pipe-end opening is tapered.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the spacing between the first cutout and a centerline of the pipe-end opening is tapered.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the infrared emitting element is parallel to the infrared receiving element, wherein the infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitting element penetrates both the first cutout and the second cutout and then is received by the infrared receiving element.

In the present invention, the detection of the infrared ray at the pipe-end opening can serve the purpose of the detecting the dusts. Further, by introducing the cutout design to the lens assembly, the infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitting element can be received by the infrared receiving element, and thus the accuracy of detecting the dusts can be enhanced. In addition, since the cutout design is applied to the front ends of the lenses, so the dusts won't contaminate the lenses.

All these objects are achieved by the vacuum apparatus described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be specified with reference to its preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the preferred vacuum apparatus in accordance with the present invention;.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an interior of the vacuum apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 demonstrates schematically a preferred detection arrangement at the pipe-end opening of the vacuum apparatus of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention disclosed herein is directed to a vacuum apparatus. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that variations of these specific details are possible while still achieving the results of the present invention. In other instance, well-known components are not described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

Refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3; which FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the preferred vacuum apparatus in accordance with the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an interior of the vacuum apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 demonstrates schematically a preferred detection arrangement at the pipe-end opening of the vacuum apparatus of FIG. 1. As shown, in this embodiment, the vacuum apparatus 100 includes a body 110, a dust-collecting box 120, a fan 130 and a detection unit 140.

The body 110 has two driving wheels 114 and a pipe-end opening 112 communicatively with the atmosphere.

The dust-collecting box 120 located inside the body 110 has a dust-sucking pipe 122. The dust-sucking pipe 122 has a first end 122 a and a second end 122 b opposing to the first end 122 a. The first end 122 a of the dust-sucking pipe 122 is positioned inside the dust-collecting box 120, while the second end 122 b of the dust-sucking pipe 122 extends out of the body 110 through the pipe-end opening 112. The dust-sucking pipe 122 is to perform the sucking of dusts and dirt while the vacuum apparatus 100 waddles on the floor.

The fan 130 located inside the body 110 at a place beside the dust-collecting box 120 is to provide an airflow for driving the dust-sucking pipe 122 to suck the dusts and dirt.

The detection unit 140 located around the pipe-end opening 112 includes a detection assembly 142 and a lens assembly 144. The detection assembly 142 has an infrared emitting element 142 a and an infrared receiving element 142 b located individually to opposing sides of the pipe-end opening 112, respectively.

The lens assembly 144 has a first lens 144 a and a second lens 144 b, located to opposing sides of the pipe-end opening 112, respectively. The front end of the first lens 144 a is formed to have a first cutout C1, while the front end of the second lens 144 b is formed to have a second cutout C2 facing the first cutout C1.

The widest spacing between the first cutout C1 and the second cutout C2 is measured to be a first distance D1 at an exterior side of the lens assembly 144, while the narrowest spacing therebetween is measured to a second distance D2 at an interior side of the lens assembly 144. The first distance D1 is surely larger than the second distance D2. Namely, the spacing between the first cutout C1 and a centerline of the pipe-end opening 112 is tapered in an inward direction, while the spacing between the second cutout C2 and the centerline of the pipe-end opening 112 is also tapered in the inward direction. Upon such an arrangement, in the case that dusts rest or move around the pipe-end opening 112, by closing either to the first cutout C1 or the second cutout C2, the airflow generated by the fan 130 would drive the dusts to flow into the vacuum apparatus via an opening formed by the front end of the first cutout C1 and the front end of the second cutout C2. Namely, the dusts would be sucked into the vacuum apparatus through the tapered hole formed between the first lens 144 a and the second lens 144 b, without staying at the first cutout C1 or the second cutout C2.

The first lens 144 a includes thereinside an infrared emitting element 142 a, and the second lens 144 b includes thereinside an infrared receiving element 142 b. in this embodiment, the infrared emitting element 142 a is located in parallel with the infrared receiving element 142 b. The infrared emitting element 142 a is to emit an infrared ray R1 to the infrared receiving element 142 b through the first cutout C1 and the second cutout C2.

The infrared ray R1 emitted by the infrared emitting element 142 a penetrates the first cutout C1 firstly, the passes through the pipe-end opening 112, then penetrates the second cutout C2, and finally reaches the infrared receiving element 142 b. The lens assembly 144 can guide the infrared ray R1 to follow a path that can avoid deflection so as to reduce possible error of dust-detection.

Upon such an arrangement, while the dusts flow in the pipe-end opening 112, the dusts would block the infrared ray, and a corresponding signal would be generated by the infrared receiving element 142 b to tell this situation, i.e. the state in the pathway formed by the first cutout C1 and the second cutout C2. In this embodiment, a float voltage signal would be generated according to the signal received by the infrared receiving element 142 b. By judging the float voltage signal, the amount of the dusts flowing in the pathway can be determined. Further, the detection unit 140 of the present invention can implement an analog signal-processing method to detect micro or even smaller particles, such that the precision of the vacuum apparatus 100 to detect the dusts inside the pipe can be substantially enhanced.

In summary, by providing the vacuum apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the detection of the infrared ray at the pipe-end opening can serve the purpose of the detecting the dusts. Further, by introducing the cutout design to the lens assembly, the infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitting element can be received by the infrared receiving element, and thus the accuracy of detecting the dusts can be enhanced. In addition, since the cutout design is applied to the front ends of the lenses, so the dusts won't contaminate the lenses.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum apparatus, comprising: a body, having a pipe-end opening communicatively with the atmosphere; a dust-collecting box, located inside the body, having a dust-sucking pipe, the dust-sucking pipe further having a first end and a second end opposing to the first end, the first end being positioned inside the dust-collecting box while the second end extends out of the body through the pipe-end opening; a fan, located inside the body at a place beside the dust-collecting box; and a detection unit, located around the pipe-end opening, further including a detection assembly and a lens assembly, the detection assembly having an infrared emitting element and an infrared receiving element, the lens assembly has a first lens and a second lens located individually to opposing sides of the pipe-end opening, respectively, a front end of the first lens being formed to have a first cutout while another front end of the second lens is formed to have a second cutout facing the first cutout, the first lens including thereinside the infrared emitting element, the second lens including thereinside the infrared receiving element, the infrared emitting element being to emit an infrared ray to penetrate the first cutout and the second cutout and finally to the infrared receiving element.
 2. The vacuum apparatus of claim 1, wherein spacing between the first cutout and the second cutout is measured to be a first distance at an exterior side of the lens assembly, while another spacing between the first cutout and the second cutout is measured to another second distance at an interior side of the lens assembly, wherein the first distance is larger than the second distance.
 3. The vacuum apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the first cutout and a centerline of the pipe-end opening is tapered.
 4. The vacuum apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the first cutout and a centerline of the pipe-end opening is tapered.
 5. The vacuum apparatus of claim 1, wherein the infrared emitting element is parallel to the infrared receiving element, wherein the infrared ray emitted by the infrared emitting element penetrates both the first cutout and the second cutout and then is received by the infrared receiving element. 